Just Leave It Alone!

I have a hard time with CAS cards. SCAS cards, especially. (SCAS means super clean and simple card for those of you who can't read my mind.) I have to pretty much slap my own hands in order not to add more stuff.

The backs of my hands are still a bit red as I type this but I did manage to resist the urge.

I bit out of the norm for me but I'm happy with how it turned out.  Digi is from Tiddly Inks. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I will mention that I got some inspiration from this card.

This one was a hard one to take a good photo of.  The white still doesn't look quite right in this photo but I guess it'll have to do.

For:

4 Crafty Chicks:  anything goes
Allsorts:  Happy Birthday (Congrats on 5 years, Allsorts!)
Susy Bee's:  one for the guys, big or small
QKR Stampede:  cas
Challenges 4 Everybody:  anything goes
Card Mania:  clean & simple
Cardz 4 Guyz:  recipe 1, 2, 3 - 1 image, 2 words, 3 pieces of paper
Scrap-Creations:  celebrations
{PIN}spirational:  inspirational photo - boy, blue & brown
Ruby's Rainbow:  one for the boys
Simon Says Stamp:  anything goes
Crafting for All Seasons:  boys will be boys

Buttons & Bows @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's an easy one as Jayne wants to see buttons and bows on your project. No prob! Now, I know most of us think "girly" when we think about buttons and bows but I decided to go with something different....

....and went boy-y instead. See, "buttons and bows" is super versatile!

So why not use it and head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Use a Feather @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

Rosanne wants us to use a feather on our projects. I had tossed around a few card ideas for this one but then I decided I wanted to try something different....

Meh. Not sure if I like it or not. Once things for sure, it's pretty easy to fix mistakes when it comes to mixed media, you can just cover 'em up with another layer!

You know you've got a feather die cut or stamp, or like me, an actual feather somewhere in your wagon so why not use it and head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Spatial Mathematics: A Study of How It Relates To Crafting

That's quite a verbose title, eh? I thought we could throw some math into the crafting mix and see what becomes of it. Yes, I do know that there is actually math in crafting, the whole measuring thing and all, but I thought we could dig deeper, expound further, and really study and reflect on this topic.

I know my readers are as smart as they come so I know you all will be able to help me find answers to all my burning questions regarding this theory.

And the question at the top of my list with regards to Spatial Mathematics is this:

Why is it that I can start with a (relatively) clean desk....

.....and then end up trying to craft in a 6" x 11" space?

And I find that when it happens, I'm also smaller, kwim? I'm crafting with my head down, shoulders hunched, T-Rex arms, slouched and curved so much that if a chiropractor saw me they'd start rubbing their hands in anticipatory glee. It's almost as if the universe is trying to compress me into that same crafting space as some sort of punishment, that it's railing against me for creating my own craft imprisonment, letting me know that I should push out and expand my horizons, to use every space, meaning all the creativeness I have at my disposal, instead of being too much aware of my constraints, like time (and the guilt of using it on something that's not "necessary") or my feeling of inadequacy with regards to my skill level etc. and that I really shouldn't be bowing down under all that massive and oppressive weight.

Now, that's heavy.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Get it?  Weight - heavy.  *snicker*  Did I have you there for a minute at least? Really, in truth, it has nothing to do with mathematics at all. I'm just a messy pig.

But I'm a messy pig who made a card though. And here it is.....

Digi is from By Lori Designs.

Like that lace flower there?  Isn't it awesome?  I unceremoniously ripped it off a shirt that no longer fit my daughter.  'Cause I may, or may not, have originally bought the shirt for the sole purpose of doing that in the future.  (And I may or may not have my eye on another shirt of hers that I plan to cannibalize the instant I think it's too small for her.)  

For:

Digi Sketch Challenge:  sketch
Hanna and Friends:  stitches
Seize the Birthday:  flowers + birthday
Creative Moments:  bingo - flowers, sentiment, more than 2 layers
Penny's Paper-Crafty:  anything goes
{PIN}spirational:  photo inspiration - I was inspired by the bright colours and flowers
Sweet Stamps:  polka dots
Just Inspirational:  anything goes
Scrap-Creations:  girly
Crafty Sentiments:  flowers
Perfectly Rustics:  bling, bling, shine & sparkle
Incy Wincy:  birthdays
Cutie Pie:  bling + cute
Crafting At the Weekend:  anything goes
Feeling Crafty:  one for the girls/ladies
Glitter 'n' Sparkle:  female cards
613 Avenue Create:  create your own challenge - Column # 1:  image, sentiment, patterned paper, solid colour paper / Column # 2:  any sketch, wet embossing / Column # 3:  Stickles / Column # 4:  bling, flowers / Column # 5:  stitching
Dream Valley:  anything goes
Come and Get It:  birthdays
Challenges 4 Everybody:  anything goes
Kit and Clowder:  flowers
My Time to Craft:  recipe - striped designer paper, blue, three flowers
Aud Sentiments:  sentiment for a child

How Charming @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it was my turn to set the challenge and I went with "How Charming" which simply means that I want to see a charm on your creation.

This is what I did.....

Digi was a freebie from A Day For Daisies.

You know you've got a charm or two somewhere in your wagon so why not use it and head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have done.

Seeing Spots @ Little Red Wagon

This week at

it's Joanne's turn to pick the challenge and it's "Seeing Spots" which means that she wants to see spots and/or dots on you project.

This is what I did......

All the shapes were cut with my Silhouette and I used Silhouette sketch pens for the sentiment.

So why not go dotty and head on over to Little Red Wagon and enter the challenge? And be sure to check out the wonderful projects the other Girlfriends have done.

For Someone Special @ UnstampaBelles

May now (where did April go!) so it's time for a new challenge at UnstampaBelles. This month the challenge is to make something for someone special to you and, the twist is to tell us why that person is special. Just remember - no stamps!

I decided to go with an altered project this time. And here it is.....

I made this for a very special person in my life.....my daughter. She's even making a little cameo appearance there....that's her finger holding up the bow.  Of course I don't need to explain why my daughter is special to me.....she's my daughter after all....but I thought I'd tell you a little about her.

She's just lovely, my daughter is.  She's kind and warm and smart and she loves to laugh.  And, as I type this she was writing, "Dear Mommy & Daddy, I ♥ U so much!" on her whiteboard for no reason at all than to just tell us that.  I love her so much I could just squish her. :-)

Really, it's a super easy challenge this month so whynot head over to UnstampaBelles and enter the challenge?  You have until the end of May to do so and you'll be entered into the drawing for a great prize and you might get picked as the DT favourite.  So, go enter!

Also for:

Catered Crop:  button up
Crafty Ribbons:  anything goes with ribbon